Control, Alter, Delete
by Kazie Solo
Summary: Now written with Hareta. Two races, one war. Two androids, one mission. But if they're to save the humans who matter to them... Takeshi, who's programmed to love, must learn how to kill, and Kuroudo, who's programmed to kill, must learn how to love.
1. Sean Firestone

**_Novus Homo _****Headquarters  
SUICD Unit, Tokyo, Japan  
16 November 2066, 23:57******

_78% of file transfer complete, transmission in progress…_

A blood-curling scream erupted from the far end of the dark corridor that led to the dimly lit laboratory; it sounded human, but the robotic scientist knew that it came from one of their kind. Quickly, he went from one computer to the other, deleting all the files he could manage to with the few precious minutes he had left, desperate not to leave anything for the humans to feast on. Information was scarce, and he was not going to let something as valuable as that fall into the hands of the rampaging beasts of the surface world.

_Intruder alert! Gate 1, shutting down!_

Cursing all humans for their atrocity, he rushed to the main computer and shut down the remaining two gates, including the one that would have been his pathway to safety, not caring if he would not make it out of the raid alive. His life mission was at the peak of completion --- the remaining 22 percent of the file transfer was all that he was waiting for --- and that gave him one last objective: complete the file transfer, at all costs.

_Gate 1, deactivated!_

He fumbled through the controls, draining power from all the other computers and generating it to the other gates, and as he did so, the entire laboratory was submerged into the darkness. The only source of light was from the monitor of the main computer, which continued on with the file transfer. It had only gone up to 84 percent, which was definitely not very much. "Faster… faster…" he muttered in a low voice that seemed too human to belong to an android, clutching the edge of his reclining chair firmly with his steel-plated hands.

There was a loud _clang_, and he knew the second gate had been knocked down even before the computer voiced it out in warning. He reached out to the controls once again, but stopped abruptly when his hands were halfway there. There was nothing he could do but to wait, that he knew for certain --- to wait for the transmission to be completed, as well as to wait for his end.

He sat still, trying to think of what else he might have forgotten to dispose of, when he saw that the percentage of the transfer had increased dramatically by another 10 percent. His spirits were lifted up as soon as he realized how close he was to success; in a minute or two, it would all be over, after all. The transmission reaching its end slowly by the second, he put his hand over the collar of his white-colored robe and ripped off the identification plate that was pinned there, fulfilling the last step in his side of the brilliant plan to overthrow the war the stupid humans were initiating.

Another _clang_.

_Gate 3, deactivated!_

Those were the last words he heard before the sound of blaster fire hitting metal and skyrocketing into all directions deafened him. Heavy fire continued to pour on, and with a loud roar, the metal gate came crashing down to the dusty steel floor, and a squadron of armed human soldiers charged in, their blasters all pointing towards the defenseless scientist. They stayed in that position for a few heart-stopping seconds until their commander marched in and gave out the order to search the area.

But to their anger and frustration, they found none. All the files in the other computers have been deleted, leaving not a single clue about the androids' next move. With a loud outcry, the commander let loose of his weapon and fired at the computers in a frenzy, destroying them one by one until minute eruptions flooded the laboratory with smoke and mechanical debris. He was about to order that the scientist be killed, when he realized that the large metal plate the robot had been leaning on was not a wall --- it was the main computer.

He rushed to the scientist, commanding him to activate the computer, but the robotic genius only gave him a knowing smile in return. Enraged beyond belief, the soldier took out his blaster and shot the scientist right through the head, killing him in the blink of an eye. With him out of the way, the fury-filled commander barked that his subordinates reactivate the main computer, marching to and fro in an intimidating fashion as he waited, only to slip into another raving fit as soon as the screen flickered back to life.

_Transfer of SC1-43.exe complete!_

With a roar, he poured blaster fire on the large data processor, eventually causing damage beyond repair. But he was too mad to care; they had prepared the raid for weeks, only to fail at their ultimate objectives, which was to retrieve the blueprints of the superweapon the androids were believed to be designing, as well as the program rumored to activate their _'Messiah'_. Someone must've betrayed them, relaying the androids the time of the surprise attack; but he shook his head, knowing that that matter would have to be dealt with afterwards as there were far more important ones at that moment.

"Blow this place up," he instructed as he began to make his way out of the cove. "Leave no evidences."

His underlings saluted in affirmation, then they scattered all over the area, installing bombs that would bring the place down without appearing like it had been done on purpose. When all the explosives were in place, the timers were activated, and the soldiers began rushing out of the laboratory, fearing that they will be caught up in the explosion. They only had 90 seconds to get to safety, after all, and the radius of the detonation reached up to 150 meters.

One of the soldiers, however, lingered in the area far longer than the rest, apparently in search for something. As soon as he came upon the scientist's unconscious form, he knelt down, removed his helmet, and bowed his blonde head as a sign of respect. Afterwards, he unclasped the android's right hand, pulled out the metal plate that had the name _Sean Firestone _engraved on it, and tucked it into a special compartment in his combat uniform.

And as he dashed out of the crumbling laboratory as fast as his legs would carry him, he pulled out a transmitter from the same compartment where he had hidden the nameplate. Turquoise eyes glistening with sadness and remorse, he relayed in a voice barely above a whisper, "SUICD, secure. Griffon One, coming home."

_/To be continued…/_

**Dedication: **This is for Hareta - Jirou Oriza of the Crush Gear Community – who is a fabulous author and an awesome friend. Thanks for everything!

**Notes: **Kazie here – this chapter's author. First off, I would like to thank Mara for volunteering to write this with me. Two heads are definitely better than one, so I suppose it would be safe to say that this fic will no longer be in hiatus any longer. Off to the story notes: (1) _Novus homo_, means "new man"; (2) all of the codes and acronyms used don't really have specific meanings, unless stated otherwise; (3) and the out-of-character-ness level for this piece is high, considering that this is an alternate universe – AU – fanfiction. Thanks everyone!


	2. Kuroudo Marume

**_Novus Homo _****Headquarters  
SPNGE Unit, Yokohama, Japan  
17 November 2066, 00:03**

Being an ES unit of the most upgraded version was a great advantage to a spy like Mitsuke Omori, known to the members of the android world as Griffon Zero --- although he had always insisted that his comrades call him without the _'Griffon'_, with the reasoning that the plain _'Zero'_ sounded a lot cooler --- who was smuggled into the dangerous Japanese society teeming with deceit, treachery, danger, and most of all, android hatred. The programs and sensors that had been installed in him recently were very useful, not only in blending with the human populace that so despised him and his kind, but also in decoding transmissions sent in by the various _Novus Homo _underground control centers all over the world.

In fact, he had just received one from their Berlin unit, sent in by the mysterious Reich Führer who he had never met personally, despite all the efforts he and his partner, Kuroudo _'Griffon One'_ Marume, exerted to be given the chance to. To the untrained, unaided human eye, the transmission was merely a jumble of ones, zeros, lines, symbols and nothing more; but he was a mechanical being of high intellect and highly technological add-ons, and that was an entirely different story.

He leaned back against his reclining chair and rested his cheek on the top of his palm, his motorized eyes that appeared too human scanning the message that scrolled past the fairly large computer screen, deciphering it almost instantly. When the last character dissolved into the blue-and-black background, he straightened up and reached out to the keyboard to send his response. He wasn't even able to type a single letter, however, for the incoming voice transmission from his partner who was out in enemy territory disguised as an army officer distracted and filled him with worry.

"Griffon One?"

The other's voice was soft and weak, its robotic aspect beginning to intertwine with its human melody that it was somewhat incomprehensible at some points, due to the fluctuations that emerged out of the integration. And the cackling flames in the background did not help make the conversation easier for them either. _"I'm sorry, Zero. I can't make it back. The explosion got me, and now I can barely move. Got my circuits fried."_

An uncomfortable pause transpired, long enough to make the brown-haired spy rise from his seat in fretfulness and wait with much impatience. Finally, Kuroudo's voice returned, but this time, his words were almost inaudible that it seemed as if the soldiers that were marching a good distance behind him were closer to the transmitter than he was. _"Connellheim had just sent out Kobayashi and his unit to search for me. You **have** to send someone over right now to get the data card before they---"_

Mitsuke cut him off with steely determination. "I'm on my way. Don't you dare self-destruct."

_"Self-destruct?" _A laugh. _"No, not yet. I'm not **that** desperate. But I might if you take forever. Griffon One out."_

The line grew quiet --- too quiet, in fact --- that the spy concluded that his partner must've set himself to standby-stealth mode to avoid being detected by the search party, which was spearheaded by the blonde's rival in the army, the ever-suave Eddie Kobayashi. Though the two ES units were an extremely clever pair of android undercover agents, the humans were slowly gaining on them, discovering various ways and means to see through their disguises, and they were running out of tactics to outrun them in turn.

Ordering all the other devices in the room to shut themselves down, Mitsuke rolled up his sleeve slightly to push a tiny button that appeared like a human birthmark in order to activate the sensors that would help him track his partner down. They were specially programmed to read Kuroudo's vital signs, and so even with the other in standby-stealth mode, he was sure he could find him without trouble. And in turn, that meant that there was certainly no need for the other to go suicidal by setting off the bomb that had been implanted inside of him, just like all other ES 'droids.

"Just hang in there, Griffon One," he whispered as if the other half of the fighting force he was part of could hear him despite the massive distance between them. He then clamped his mechanical hand into a fist. "I'm coming."

**_Novus Homo _****Landing Pad  
SUICD Unit, Tokyo, Japan  
17 November 2066, 00:06**

"I hate daybreak operations,"Lieutenant Eddie Kobayashi complained in a low, almost inaudible voice as he trudged through the many piles of steel and iron with his subordinates, his infrared visor not helping much in his hike across the vast area of terrain that was once the landing pad of the android base they had just destroyed. He paused in the middle of a small clearing, scanning the landscape that spread before him in hopes to spot a human figure among the explosion debris, but when he saw nothing but more metal scraps, he let out an exasperated sigh. He did not understand how in the world could his second-in-command have disappeared, when in fact the blonde had been just by his side all along.

_He must've found something that was vital enough for the alliance that would render his promotion to my rank, _he thought, but he shook his head and pushed the thought away almost immediately, as it simply didn't seem right. For the short span of time that Marume was under his command, he had managed to discover almost everything about the blonde out of his preparation for a rival with extreme potential, and he eventually realized that the missing soldier's goal was not to push himself into a high position and live as a superhero, but rather to get himself killed in one of their missions. It was ironic, but true; he knew for a fact that the kid was suicidal.

Remembering that, he bit his lip. What if Marume _did_ intend to stay behind so as to have his life taken away by the explosion? It was a shame to lose a rival in such a situation, but deep inside his heart, Kobayashi knew that was glad --- even elated, to an extent. If the other was truly dead, there was no one for him to worry about anymore; he would remain the most favored soldier of Captain Gallen Connellheim, a title that had been beginning to slip out of his reach when the flaxen-haired fighter was assigned to the Tokyo corps.

He allowed a twisted smile to leak through his face that was hidden underneath the combat helmet he was wearing as he headed back to report to Connellheim, calling his still-searching inferiors to his side as he did so. He was only a few meters away from where he last stood, however, when he realized that there was yet another member of his unit that was missing. Scowling, he made the move to turn around and search for the said soldier, only to spot him running towards them as if he uncovered something very important.

And indeed, he did; he just didn't know _how_ significant it was, to his superior officer, most especially.

"Lieutenant!" he called out from the darkness, coming to a halt in front of Kobayashi a few seconds later. He handed a dog tag, its fine chain still intact, to his waiting superior, before he rested his hands on his knees and attempted to catch his breath. "I think that's…" he took a deep breath, "… Marume's. But I couldn't… find him anywhere, sir. It's either… the explosion swallowed him whole… or he… somehow got away safely… but left that behind."

After fidgeting with the object the other treasure found, the young Lieutenant reached out to the back part of his helmet to activate the headlight, then adjusted his visor so he could check on the dog tag using his own eyes. It was basically similar to those they owned, except for two things. The first was its color; instead of a shiny gold-plated one the officers were known to have --- most of the lower-ranking soldiers were even jealous that theirs had to be either silver or bronze, according to the camp rules --- it had the hue of newly polished silver. In the darkness, its color didn't look any different from the rest, but just to be sure, the officer pulled out his own golden one for comparison. It was genuinely silver.

The second difference lay in what was written on it. Instead of the usual name and rank that was often carved in fancy letters with curls and loops, engraved on it was a mere five-digit code. Holding the dog tag closer to his face and the headlight, Kobayashi took a closer look at the calligraphy --- and his eyes flew open in surprise and realization. _I can't believe it, _he told himself, running his thumb down the incision that read _ES21-2 _to verify if it was really there. He then clamped his hand into a fist, enclosing the metal plate in it. _Now I understand!_

He looked at the soldier who found it, gritting his teeth as he relayed his order. "I want you to search that area for any sign of those blasted 'droids." He cocked his head to the side slightly to indicate that the command was for his other underlings as well. "Kill all that you can find, right on the spot, and make sure none of them will get away."

"They got Marume, Lieutenant?" the other asked worriedly, pulling out his blaster from its holster and loading it as soon as it was properly secured in his hands. His companions, who knew how dangerous the android soldiers were, did the same, the thought of the mechanical creatures managing to capture or even murder one of the best warriors in their squadron sending chills down their spine. They weren't going to take any chances.

But it was Kobayashi's answer that frightened them the most.

"No. He's one of them."

_/To be continued…/_


	3. Kouya Marino

**International Human Confederation Headquarters  
Washington DC, United States of America  
16 November 2066, 11:18**

"I don't think we should resort to such violent actions just yet. The more we press on the enemy, the more aggressive they become, and we for a fact how dangerous they can get," Yuhya Marino voiced out calmly as he and his companions emerged from the main entrance of the International Human Confederation headquarters, which was in the heart of the world's most powerful country, the United States of America. He was a dashing young Senator who seemed to be the most levelheaded among the IHC officers, as he refused to cast a vote on a particular matter without thinking about the situation intently.

His fiancée, Lilika Tobita, nodded in agreement. Being the daughter of a diplomat and a budding one herself, she had learned from experience that violence had never been a solution to violence. It would only cause more complications to arise, and they could not afford those to surface at such a critical point. The humans and androids were at the brink of war, after all; one wrong move from either side could cause the end of the world in the blink of an eye. However, she did not say anything else after that gesture, her emerald-colored eyes apparently focused on something else --- _someone_ else, for that matter.

Yuhya had no reason to be jealous, however, for the person she was looking at was his younger brother, Kouya, who came running towards them at a dangerous speed that could send all three of them to the ground upon impact. And it didn't take long for it to actually happen; in a matter of seconds, the two peacekeepers were pinned to the concrete surface by the hyperactive brunette, who sat on top of them like a proud king ready to be crowned. As usual.

"_Ohayou gozaimasu, Oniichan, Oneechan!_" he greeted with a grin that spread from ear to ear. "Let's eat crab!"

At that, the brown-haired female laughed, ruffling the boy's hair as she did so. "Well, I'm pretty hungry myself, so why don't we go and take a bite?" she offered with a grin, glancing at Yuhya who had just recovered from his fall. As soon as the other nodded, she got up to her feet and pulled the younger Marino up, although it wasn't necessary as the boy was up and about the moment she mentioned that they were going to eat. She then turned to her fiancé and smiled teasingly. "Were you _that_ hyper when you were little?"

**Washington Commerce and Industry Center  
Washington DC, United States of America  
16 November 2066, 11:32**

Hand in hand, Yuhya and Kouya strolled through the corridors at the ground floor of the large skyscraper, their female companion walking alongside them with an amused expression on her pretty, Japanese features. The younger Marino had managed to coerce the Senator into singing his so-called _'crab jingle'_, and without the slightest hint of hesitation Yuhya broke into the song --- which, hilariously, had only two lines.

"Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy!" he chanted, his little brother following his lead and echoing every line by heart. People all over the area were beginning to spare bewildered glances at their direction, most especially the entrepreneurs clad in formal business clothing, but the hyperactive duo paid their prying looks no mind. "Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy! Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy! Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy!"

Lilika laughed, but her laughter only caused Kouya to remember that she wasn't a playing a part in their singing spree. Breaking free of his brother's grip, he rushed to confront the young ambassadress and flashed his most charming smile while swaying himself in his own adorable manner.

It was Yuhya's turn to laugh. "Now, now, Kouya…"

The boy pouted, putting his hand on hips just as he'd seen his future sister-in-law do so many times when she was upset. "But _Oneechan_ hasn't done the song yet!" he protested, reverting his gaze on Lilika and staring into her vibrant green orbs with puppy eyes. Kids his age were extremely talented at that. "Please, _Oneechan? _It's really easy! Just sing, 'Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy! Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy! Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy!' then say, 'Oh yeah!'"

"I…" Lilika began hesitantly, swallowing as she did so. Her eyes reflexively darted around, therefore noticing how large the crowd was. Boy, was she in for a humiliating time. But she knew there was no way she could refuse a child's pleading gaze and his already trembling lower lip. Kouya, no doubt, was one of her weaknesses ---

"Aw come on, Lilika. It's just a little song."

--- and her fiancé Yuhya was the other.

At that, she sighed in defeat, knowing that she had no way out of the situation. The Marino brothers had already overpowered her. "Fine. I'll sing." Silently convincing herself that even singing in a soft voice would immediately satisfy the ecstatic boy, she opened her mouth to render the jingle, hoping against hope that a whisper would be sufficient. She wasn't ready to embarrass herself the way her happy-go-lucky boyfriend already did. She hadn't even uttered the word 'crab', however, when a loud explosion coming from one of the building's upper floors silenced her in shock, while almost everyone else were caught by panic and terror.

Kouya then clung to her for protection and comfort, his face as pale as sheet. The fact that the explosion didn't happen only once, that the people were screaming and shrieking non-stop, and that chunks of concrete and metal were beginning to fall from the ceiling, crushing those who unfortunately weren't able to get out of the way, didn't make things any easier for the lad, or for her.

"This way, hurry! Run and don't turn back!" Yuhya called out amidst the uproar, grabbing Lilika's hand and pulling her, she pulling the younger brunette in turn. They fought their way through the stampeding crowd, holding on to each other tightly, trying to ignore the feelings of dread and fear that were beginning to overwhelm their senses.

An alert sounded from the structure's many speakers, and a loud cackle was heard next. It wasn't human; it was definitely robotic. And then, a deep, booming voice declared with much anger and hatred, _"Run for your lives, you murderers! Run towards the gates of death! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life! You have crossed the line! You have gone too far! Today you shall pay! Today the war shall begin!"_

"Androids!" Lilika exclaimed, terror shining through her tanned features in realization. She glanced at Yuhya, and he projected the same look of helplessness and alarm, only that he was biting his lip to prevent himself from cursing or making any snide comments. Unable to stand seeing the expression that mirrored her own, she reverted her gaze to the exit that lay not very far away, tightening her hold on Kouya's frail arm…

_"Oniichan!"_

Kouya's panicked cry was seconded by her startled gasp, and when the older Marino turned to see what was going on, his heard almost froze in intense fear. He reached out to grab a hold of his brother's hand, but the crowd swept the boy even further away from his grasp. "Kouya!" he screamed, fighting through the rushing swarm of terror-stricken humans to the frightened child, but to no avail. With the portal to life and survival just a few good meters ahead of them, the people pushed and squeezed themselves through, desperate to live, to survive. And the boy was dragged further and further away from his struggling brother and future sister, until there was nothing Yuhya could see but the sea of trouble, doomed souls.

The voice returned, cackling and sneering at their demise, urging them to run while they had the chance, and teasing them for their helplessness. Then, there was another explosion --- and the place fell apart. 

_/To be continued…/_

**Notes: **Kazie here again; finally, this fic has been updated after such a long time. Sorry for the delay, everyone, but writer's block's visit had been very untimely. Anyway, as you might have noticed, Kouya's obviously a lot younger in this fic than he is in the series. Let's just say that chibi Kouya makes me melt into a fangirl puddle. Blame it on the kawaiiness factor. XD So, to the next chapter we go…


	4. Mitsuke Omori

**_Novus Homo _****Landing Pad  
SUICD Unit, Tokyo, Japan  
17 November 2066, 00:44**

"You look _awful_."

On Mitsuke's brown eyes he could clearly see his reflection, noticing for the first time how terrible he truly appeared. His left cheek had melted away to reveal its shiny metal interior, and its neighboring areas on his face were beginning to suffer the same fate. His left arm, on the other hand, was hopeless; the skin had been completely eaten up by the heat and flames of the explosion, and he couldn't move it because the circuitry had been burnt to a crisp. He sighed. "Yeah, I look like a monster," he seconded wryly, but then the notes of silence played, and he found himself looking away into the dark realm of nothingness. "He's _dead_, Zero. Is there still a way for us to win this war without Him? He always had the plans, but now that He---"

The brunette cut him off with a piercing glare. "He may be dead but His work will continue. Through _us_. We're going to win this stupid war, and if you refuse to believe that, it's a disgrace to consider you my partner, or even an ES to begin with." He raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. "You've never been the pessimistic kind, Griffon One. What's gotten into you?"

"Ah. So it's Kuroudo Marume, but also Griffon One and ES21-2," a sneering voice began from behind the pair of undercover agents, its owner casting a dark shadow upon them. His eyes were glittering with unmatched hatred and disgust. "My, my, my. I must admit, _android_, for a tin can you've got style."

"Kobayashi," Kuroudo growled in a low, lethal tone, turning to confront his superior officer who was approaching from the far side of the zone. His partner quickly grabbed him by the arm to hold him back, but was a second too late. The beam from Eddie's headlight had already landed on the blonde's form, scanning him from head to foot like some alien specimen; then it transferred on the brunette, who looked completely human but who had already been exposed to be a member of the mechanical outcasts.

The lieutenant acknowledged the other soldier in return. "Marume. No, _ES21-2_. Now I know what you truly are." Without so as much as a blink, he raised his blaster, leveling it at the disheveled-looking spy. The other two didn't have the time to react; as soon as the officer did so, all the other soldiers emerged from their hiding places, their weapons at hand and ready to fire. Kuroudo and Mitsuke were, unfortunately, surrounded. "I knew someone was leaking out information from the camp, but I didn't expect that it would be you, _android. _Captain Connellheim trusted you, and since I don't doubt his integrity even the slightest, I trusted you as well… trusted you _enough _to become your friend. But what have you done? You betrayed me, _android._"

The blonde's sensors registered _anger_, but not only from the brown-haired soldier, but also from himself. At least, what he felt was the robotic counterpart of the said human emotion, due to the other's repetition of the word _android _with much emphasis and distinction. In the same controlled tone, he countered, "Friend, you say, Lieutenant? Please, don't make me laugh. You're not my friend. None of you is. You humans are nothing but murderers and treacherous scums. No exceptions."

Eddie only laughed. "Say what you want, _android. _I don't care. This ends tonight."

As the young lieutenant continued to prattle about his feat at capturing two android spies, Kuroudo's hand flew to the center of his chest, where the human heart was supposed to be located. The moment the gesture was executed, Mitsuke knew what exactly his partner was up to: he was going to self-destruct. He knew that the blonde would rather die than give the enemy a chance of victory; it was one of the fiercest commands ever programmed in ES21-2's memory bank. But he, too, was well aware that his partner had a mission far greater than taking an entire squadron of human soldiers to their deaths through his suicide, thus there was no way he was going to let Kuroudo just throw his life away.

"Twenty-one Two," the brunette whispered calmly, and that registered surprised on the other 'droid. For the span of time they had been together, he had never called Kuroudo by his number code, and he was sure that the other was taken aback. The moment his chestnut-colored eyes were met by the blonde's ice blue ones, he raised his hand and swiftly threw a shiny metal object, which the other promptly caught. Before the flaxen-haired spy could say a word or take a look at the item he had just received, Mitsuke took a step towards Eddie and his cronies, closing his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, they were lined with stubborn determination. "Go to Berlin."

It took quite sometime for the other to digest the order, but as soon as he was able to, Kuroudo's eyes widened in shock and realization. As Mitsuke placed his hand on his chest in the very same gesture he had just executed, he exclaimed, "But Zero---!"

"Don't argue with me, Twenty-one Two! Leave _now!_"

"Nobody's going anywhere, _android_. At least, without me. Now, why don't you be good boys and raise your hands above your head? You don't want to get hurt any more than you already are, do you? Or do you want to experience a little short-circuit? That wouldn't be pleasant. I'd hate to have to put you together when the time comes for you to be interrogated, you know."

Mitsuke then took a step forward. And another. And another. When he was barely a meter away from the smooth-talking army officer, he stopped and smirked, putting the most confident front he could muster. His right hand was still on top of his chest, already connected to the bomb that was well hidden inside his metal torso. In a few seconds, it would all be over. "You're not going anywhere either, _human_. At least, without me."

Eddie glared. "I can disintegrate you right here, right now. You don't scare me."

"Really?" the brunette's voice took an amused tone. "Well, then, let me be of help. Allow me to tell you a couple of important information before you _disintegrate _me, in return for my partner's betrayal of your trust. Before I came here to rescue Twenty-one Two, I received a transmission from one of our superior officers stationed in Berlin. His name's Reich Führer, although you humans know him as Harry Gamble. He told me that he had just received the program to activate SC1-43, the android _'messiah'_ you have all been searching for, and he wanted me to go to Berlin to help out. But well, you've got me, so there's no way I can go to Berlin now…"

The lieutenant quickly commented on Mitsuke's spur-of-the-moment confession, offering his survival in exchange for more information, but the android only shook his head, saying that they wouldn't have any use for it anyway. Kuroudo, however, had gotten the hint. There was no way the brunette could go to Berlin, but _he _could. Closing his sapphire orbs in preparation for what he was about to do, he silently thanked Mitsuke for everything and promised him that he would not fail, then he turned around and, like greased lightning, fled.

Immediately, Eddie's subordinates began pouring blaster fire on the escaping android, with their commander barking an order after the other in a frenzy, and as the blonde continued to seek safety, his partner let out a laugh. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about him if I were you, Lieutenant. You should worry about _me_, because I'm just about to _self-destruct_. In fact…" He paused, his smile twisting into a cruel, sardonic one. "I have already started the countdown. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven…"

Color drained from the young officer's face. He didn't want to believe the android at first, but when he looked into Mitsuke's mechanical eyes, he knew that the android wasn't lying. He called back his soldiers and ordered them to fall out and head to safety, him running ahead of everyone else.

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

**_Goodbye, Kuroudo._******

_/To be continued…/_

**Notes: **Aaah that was a hard chapter! I'm sorry if the ending sucked, but I couldn't think of any other way to end it – and yes, this is Kazie. Mara's first chapter will be the fifth. *smiles* Anyway, back to the story notes… Harry's code name, _Reich Führer_, is actually taken from the name of his Gear in German. In English, it's something with Bridge Vogel… or commonly known as 'The Swan'. I'd like to thank Schrenima for sharing that tidbit about Harry. So… that's it for now, thanks for reading and please review!


	5. Kyousuke Jin

**Tokyo Docking Bay 3  
Tokyo, Japan  
17 November 2066, 01:13**

Carefully crouched on the rooftop of an old, abandoned warehouse in the dark of the night, Rin Shinomiya pulled off her infrared goggles and smoothened out her shoulder-length blonde hair. She then took out her transmitter from the folds of her sleek, red trench coat, fumbling with it for a while in search for the right signal. Finally, she put it close to her lips and relayed, "_Shigetsu_ to _Gougetsureishiki._ Detonation radius, 50 meters. Single explosion, part nuclear. Had to be an RS."

As she shifted her weight from one leg to another, she heard Dan Midou reply from their hideout that she continue observing from where she was --- or better yet, move even closer to get a better view of what remained of the androids' headquarters after the unexpected _second _explosion. She was aware, just like her comrades, that the Tokyo corps had gone in for a night raid, having been tipped about the underground base, but she was also aware that there was supposed to be only _one_ explosion.

Although with a hint of reluctance, she put her headgear back on and began scanning the area for a more suitable watching post. "Nobody could've survived that," she whispered, her gaze landing on a taller building, closer to the raided _Novus Homo _headquarters, its rooftop sloping upward. The angle she just needed. She glanced at her twin brother, who was stationed at the building just across hers, and indicated their new watch post. Then, a look of surprise caught her face. "What? I don't think so. RS 'droids don't work in pairs."

The other Shinomiya, Rai, nodded and descended from his place, sliding down one of the pipes for a faster downward trip. Taking his two blasters from their holsters, which were strapped to the sides of his belt, he disappeared into the dark alleyway, but reappeared a couple of seconds later at the base of their new, agreed watching area. Using the pipes once again for leverage, he made his way up with much ease, being the most skillful climber of the group.

"_Sougetsu_ to _Gougetsu_. I'm taking command."

At that, the blonde rose from her spot and mentally plotted the course she would take to where her twin was. Rai was the master of climbing pipes, yes, but it was Rin who perfected the art of jumping from one rooftop to another with android-like skill and precision. Switching her goggles from infrared to night vision mode, she checked her footwear one last time before she made her first leap.

A success. Though louder than she expected it to be, thanks to her boots' steel-plated heels to aid in her quest to kick android butt, she managed to do a two-feet landing that was, if properly executed, painless. She remained in a crouching position for a few more heartbeats, just to make sure that she arose no suspicion. Then, when the silence was urging her to take another jump, she dipped low and prepared to do it one more time…

_Whoosh._

She looked away from her target, her hands reflexively darting towards the control knob of her goggles and twisting it back to infrared. Rai's figure was a blur of red and yellow at a distance, but through the alley a multi-colored figure was streaking past. No longer caring if they were going to be exposed, she bellowed as loud as she can, "_Sougetsu!_ Below!"

She was quick, but her brother was quicker. Blaster fire poured on the dark walkway, disrupting the stillness of the night for the third time. Hoping to corner the runaway android, she bounced through the rooftops in a straight path, drawing her handgun out as she did so. _An RS. An RS on the loose. Too dangerous an android to be kept alive. It must be disintegrated! _she thought fiercely to herself, biting her lip.

But she misstepped, and the force plunged her downward in the blink of an eye, towards the cold, cemented ground. Fortunately, she managed to grab the edge of the rooftop she was aiming to jump into, but released her handgun as she did so. It dropped down and broke into many pieces, in a sound that made her cringe in fear. If she was going to fall, there was no way she could stand up again. She'd end up a mass of broken bones, or worse, _die_.

Her transmitter cackled. "---_getsu_, hang on---"

"Rai!" she screamed helplessly, unable to watch the wayward mechanical being any more, even from the corners of her eyes. She struggled to get back up to the rooftop, but the more she moved, the more she felt like slipping. There was no way she could catch up with the RS now. "The RS! It's getting away!"

"No. I got it," a third voice, calm and confident, broke into the conversation. And it wasn't Dan.

It was Kyousuke Jin.

"No. I got it. Leave it to me," he relayed, before shutting off his transmitter. He then held up his weapon against his chest, loading his blaster with a soft _click _and pushing his back against the cold, concrete wall. Their target was almost exactly in the same position, except that he wasn't carrying even a single weapon --- only a lethal bomb that was hidden inside of him. That the dark-haired android hunter knew, and so he kept in mind that he should make the first move before the other would get the chance to show off some fancy fireworks.

He pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose and observed the mechanical creature closely, waiting for the right moment to jump out of his hiding place. After a few moments, the android slipped away, retreating towards the darker part of the alleyway, which was in actuality, a dead end. Smirking, Kyousuke sprinted after the 'droid, his weapon leveled and ready to fire.

Too late. It was too late when the android realized that he had walked right into a dead end.

"I'm sorry, but there's no way out for you now. _Sayonara_, android," the spectacled young man announced, his blaster aimed right at the robotic being's head. He was grinning mischievously at his accomplishment, his finger anchored on the trigger and ready to fire at a moment's notice, but it was at that precise moment when his target cocked his head to the side --- and caught his ebony-colored eyes with his deep, blue ones.

Kyousuke froze, his gaze locked into the other's intently. He found himself unable to move, unable to do anything except stare at the android's sapphire orbs. Those eyes, those icy cerulean eyes… he had seen those eyes before, had looked into those eyes in the very same way he was looking at them at the moment, though he was not actually believing what he was seeing. And then, for some unexplainable reason, he lowered his blaster and turned away. "_Run._"

The android didn't move.

"I said _run!_" he screamed, and he did so, he began to fire --- but not at the android he and his comrades were trying to capture and destroy. He was firing at the concrete wall instead, firing and firing until he was out of ammunition, until the wall had collapsed into a heap of stones and gravel, until the blue-eyed android had gotten away.

The dust settled, and Kyousuke was once again alone in the dark alley. Quickly, he took out his transmitter and fumbled for the twins' shared channel, before they could get to him and find out what he had just done. "_Dino Spartan_ to _Shigetsu _and_ Sougetsu_," he began, putting his blaster back into its holster, which was strapped on his back. "All clear. It was an RS. Piece of cake."

_/To be continued…/_

**Notes: **Kazie here. Sorry for the late update, everyone. I've had some trouble this week and so I wasn't able to type this chapter up as much as I wanted to. Had too many appointments with the doctor regarding my eye. *sheepish grin* Anyway, I once again used Gear names for code names, as you might've noticed; and _sayonara _means goodbye. Next up… well, they're Mara's chapters, although I still have to edit them and all, so I'll be uploading them sometime this week. Thanks for everything and until the next update!


	6. Takeshi Manganji

**_My First_**

Flight GB-103 had just boarded on Japan. The airplane was merely capping a part of the sky's scenario for hundreds of seconds.

A gentleman wearing a red jacket sat on one of the passenger seats inside the heaving airplane with headphones covering his entire two ears and with both eyes closed. The hours were officially his manager and the sky was primarily his airways. The oozing sound of the plane made him sucked up and tired as well.

He was not alone at all. He had an escort… another awesome lad covering his blue eyes with his dark blue face-contoured sunshades and a black-and-blue German-cut cap resting on top of his unseen blonde hair.

Almost a few hours passed and Japan was visible to Harry Gamble. "I'm glad we're here," he said as he looked at his pane and tall buildings were clear, and the sky seemed breaking free. He made a quick turn to his right. "Takeshi."

The black-haired man broke away from his headphones and thoroughly opened his eyes. "Whatever." It was a sarcastic response, which made Harry think that he was homesick, but with that one word came a sardonic smile. It was more of excitement than of boredom, he guessed.

The nose landing gear of the plane was slowly playing its role. A few minutes later, Flight NY-166 landed safe and sound in Japan International Airport. Many passengers made their way down from the plane, and a couple of seconds after, GB-103 docked on the same port with an exact five-second delay --- the two planes landed almost at the same time.

_"We're now in Japan. We need to get there as soon as possible, Mr. Tobita,"_ a deep voice begun to converse, holding his mobile phone close to him.

**Japan International Airport  
Tokyo, Japan  
17 November 2066, 09:47**

It was Takeshi's first visit to Japan and he felt a bit conscious with the people around him, as well as the structure of the buildings. The two of them stayed for quite a long period in the baggage area for their luggage.

"Do you know exactly what the heck this place is, Harry?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah. You'll love this place, Takeshi. It's more than a home."

"Really?"

"You'll see lots of beautiful women here," the blonde said with a wink. "And lots of delicious food. Yummier than in Berlin, in fact."

_Ring…_

Harry got his cellular out to answer the call. He withdrew from their late conversation and bought distance for privacy. Takeshi, on the other hand, continued to look around the JIA building. On his front was an automatic sliding door, and on his rear was the way to the docking area of the planes.

_"Yes. Lilika and I are safe. She saw it, too… that won't happen, Mr. Tobita. I'm scared that she, too, will…" _Takeshi once again heard the same deep voice, slowly decreasing in volume as the speaker --- a brunette --- moved further away from him. He heard a few more lines from the conversation but it was nothing for him _like he cared._

Eventually, he saw a young boy, around six years of age, holding a piece of paper. His mother was quite in a hurry so she shoddily grabbed the boy's arms, making the paper fall down. Though not exactly touching the base of the building; it went on soaring on the air at a lower height.

Takeshi's deep brown eyes followed the airwaves forcing the paper to fly. It landed beside a lady's shoe with perfect tan legs on it. He made a sigh and he studied the woman standing beside the piece of paper. She had long chestnut-colored hair and wonderful emerald eyes. She was holding a mobile phone --- and she looked so lovely.

Maybe Harry was right then.

_I have never seen anyone as lovely as this girl in my entire life. She's my first._

_/To be continued…/_

**Authors' Notes:**

_Mara _– Hello! I'm Mara, and I just wrote my first chapter in this story. Kaz gave me the chance to write about my favorite love couple (Takeshi and Lilika). Please pardon the grammar. I used to sleep during English classes before and not to mention my 'inexcusable tardiness' too. And to all Takeshi/Lilika fans out there, this is for you guys. Just pray that God will enlighten my mindless mind so that I can write more interesting situations in the next chapters. That's all… Ü Have fun… 

_Kazie _– I actually got inspired to write this fic after watching Animatrix at my friend's place. I don't know why or how it happened, but it just did. I'm not a big sci-fi fan --- except for Star Wars --- so I'm quite surprised myself that this idea came into mind, and that I actually got around to writing it. As for my eye, I had a sty, and when I went to the doctor for check-up, he found a cyst on my eyelid, and it had to be operated. My operation was last week, so I had to wear an eye patch for a day and keep myself from straining my eyes (in other words, not stay in front of the computer for long) in the next. But I'm alright now; I'm just caught up with schoolwork. *sulks*


	7. Lilika Tobita

**_Last Once_**  
  
  
  
**Japan International Airport  
Tokyo, Japan  
17 November 2066, 09:49**  
  
  
"Thanks for the heed. Oh, Yuhya? He's somewhere there… He's talking with father. He's also waiting for a cab to take us to the unit… Yes, we are safe here. I feel a little bit dizzy, though, after a few hours' trip… I don't think so. I'll try, if Yuhya won't get in trouble… He's distracted after what happened to Kouya… I guess so…"  
  
She held tight to her mobile phone. A call from the USA was still passing on to her mobile.  
  
Everybody paid no attention to the passersby, excluding the departure announcements and other flight subjects.  
  
With that, she kept on conversing with her mother through the cellular. She stared at walls to walls, ceilings to doors, the passersby, the luggage she had, and eventually to… a sheet of paper beside her left shoe.  
  
She gave it a straight look and regained it after a while. The paper stayed for long and she was reluctant to mind it _like she cared_. Japan International Airport could never be as busy as that time when passengers leave and board. _"Lilika,"_ her mother's voice from the other side of the world was then transmitted to her ears once again. _"What time is it there now?"_  
  
She gazed at her wristwatch and began to chuckle. She had noticed that she was reading the time in New York. She almost forgot to change the hours in her watch, if not for her mother's inquiry. She then realized that she was in a GMT +9:00 time zone. "I forgot to change the time, mother." She let her eyeballs run from side to side to find for a time device giving the exact hour in Japan. She sympathetically gazed to her left, and alas, it's telling her something…  
  
"Oh, I found a clock here. It's telling me that it's…" Her eyes found another pair of deep brown, staring into hers with bliss, without hesitation. Her eyes unwillingly outran the chilling looks of the lad just a few meters away from her. "It's… al… almost ten daylight." She could hardly rebuke a word. She then found him flinching away from gawping. As a result, she, too, tried to glance no more. But it proved to her that there was an attraction, like a magnetic field encompassing the two of them. She intentionally turned her body sideways left to make a review. She saw him and both of them were plainly looking into each other's eyes.  
  
She recoiled. There was a break free with her mother's conversation and hers. There was a magnet which continued on pulling her eyes to this one striking man standing on one part of the building. He was extremely handsome, she admitted to herself, _but what about Yuhya Marino?_  
  
The quixotic hiss of the wind somehow disappeared. She promised to look for a last once, but the crowd demurred. She could hardly see the man in the red jacket. She raised her head to catch his deep brown eyes but it gave her injustice.  
  
"Lilika," a man who stood in front of her started to talk. He grasped her right hand with a comforting touch and he tried to catch her emerald eyes. "Let's go. The cab will take us there. I called your father, and assured him that I'll take care of you."  
  
She felt something extraordinary, maybe because she felt pressure from the injustice for… a last once. "It's so nice to hear that from you. But it's I who's supposed to say that." She gently gazed from his brown hair down to his just as dark-colored eyes. "Yuhya."  
  
  
  
  
_/To be continued…/_  
  
  
  
  
**Authors' Notes:**  
  
_Mara_ – Well, my part ends here… for now. The next chapter's for Kazie to work on, right? Please review and let me know what you think of my writing! I just started writing, so I need lots of advice and all the help I can get. Thank you.  
  
_Kazie_ – Yup, it's time for the procrastinator to get to work again – yours truly. Anyway, I – we – hope you liked that chapter. Since I'll be doing all the technical and action blah blah, I'm leaving the romance mush to Mara; so if the chapter involves a couple, you can be sure it's her doing. Unless, of course, it's stated otherwise. Please review! 


	8. Kuroudo Marume

**Akira Jin's Residence  
Tokyo, Japan  
17 November 2066, 22:32**   
  
  
  
The lights in Kyousuke Jin's room died down, plunging the young man's sleeping quarters into the darkness, and that was the sign he had been waiting for. He stepped out from the abandoned apartment which he had used as his hideout ever since his daring escape, and headed towards the house across the street. Though it was a pretty big house, it wasn't fancy at all. Even the green patch by the porch seemed to be just that, and not what one would consider a garden.   
  
A gust of wind blew past, alerting the temperature sensors all over his mechanical body, but he paid the signals no mind, even if some of the impulses were practically tickling him to the bone, if he had bones. Instead, he fixed his hood to make sure that his half-damaged face remained hidden, in case there were people in the neighborhood who were still awake. After all, a normal human would not be found wandering around when a part of his face had been stripped off. An android would, however; an android like him.   
  
As he drew closer and closer, he could feel a sense of familiarity wash over him. He allowed his ice-blue eyes to drift around --- not in the literal sense, of course --- and scan the area for a few moments, yet after doing so rather thoroughly, he still could not figure out what was so comfortable about the place.   
  
The door slid open, and he quickly moved into the curtains of darkness to conceal himself. From where he stood, almost dropping into standby-stealth mode, he saw the dark-haired android hunter emerge from his father's dwelling, armed and ready to help rid of the world of the androids. He had found out from whispering, gossiping folks that despite many offers he insisted on staying with his family, to aid and protect them at the time of unrest. The young man, on the other hand, then started to leave the premises, having checked if he had brought everything he would need for their long-planned hunting trip in the infested streets of Kawasaki. But after taking a few steps forward, he came to a halt, eyes looking around critically.   
  
The android knew he had been sensed, but instead of attempting to hide himself even more, he stepped out to meet Kyousuke face-to-face, blue eyes meeting black once more. The latter already had his hand on his blaster, at the verge of pulling it and using it against the newcomer, but the other then pulled back his hood, revealing his familiar pale features, blonde hair, and orbs of sapphire blue. He wasn't surprised when the smaller lad lowered his guard, his hands dropping to his sides, and after putting his hood back into place, he asked, "Why?"   
  
Kyousuke blinked. "Why _what?_"   
  
"You had the chance. But why didn't you take it?" He had no idea how such anger and hostility managed to take over him, but the next thing he knew, he had taken the human by the collar of his shirt, and rather forcefully, at that. "Why did you spare my life?"   
  
The other's gaze hardened as though he had been accused of doing something downright evil, when in fact it was the contrary. But his resentment soon disappeared as he noticed how injured the android was. "Let me go," he plainly said, not attempting at all to reply to the questions that had been pinned on him, and to his surprise, it didn't take too long before the blonde-haired mechanical being obeyed. He then spared a look inside the house, checking if his father, Akira --- who was also part of an anti-android faction --- was still in the living room. When he saw that he wasn't, he turned back to his guest and regarded him with a nod. "Come in. I need to get you fixed up."   
  
The blonde hesitated. "I don't understand."   
  
"Neither do I," Kyousuke confessed. "At least, not _yet_."   
  
The spectacled young man extended his hand for him to take, confusing him even more than he already was. Aside from the unexplainable feeling of familiarity that still did not go away and was flowing from the android hunter as well, there was the incomprehensible friendliness of the lad in glasses towards him. As much as he wanted to believe that he was deliberately being led into a trap --- the blonde-haired twins, who he had narrowly escaped from the other night, could be in Kyousuke's room for all he knew --- he couldn't find a trace of the mischievousness and hatred in the other's eyes he first saw the other night.   
  
Left without a choice, he took Kyousuke's hand and shook it. Well, he could always self-destruct.   
  
  
  
  
  
Kyousuke's room was cross of a laboratory and a storeroom rather than a sleeping quarters. On one side of the room were his bed and clothes cabinet, pushed near the wall to take up as little space as possible, and on the other were his scientific gadgets and equipment. Hung on the wall were all sorts of firearms, from large blasters to pistols and handguns, all of them specially customized with the genius' special touch.   
  
"Your arm will take some work, but I'll be done with it before morning comes, so you can slip out before anyone else knows you were here," the hunter commented as he approached the sitting android, bringing with him a roll of some sort of flaxen-hued cloth and a pair of scissors. He then began patching up the blonde's face, after having fixed the circuitry without so as much breaking a sweat.   
  
What surprised the android was that the _'skincloth'_ or whatever it was called happened to be of the exact hue as that of his artificial skin coat. It had to be more than coincidence; he was practically the only pale-skinned resident mechanical creature in all of Japan, as the rest were created with Oriental skin tones. He remembered Zero joking that he was supposed to be stationed somewhere in Europe --- France, if he recalled correctly --- but was wrongly deported to Japan. He never really believed that, despite the fact that it was quite a good excuse, and then he realized that he still didn't know why he was different.   
  
The patching was done in five minutes or so. Wanting him to see how well he had done, Kyousuke led him to the nearby cabinet so he could take a look at the mirror, which was attached to the middle compartment. He had to bend down a little, with the hunter being shorter than he was and the mirror being at his head level, to see the work that had been done to him, and was particularly amazed. He looked as good as new, and he looked human. He didn't know how the other did it in such a short span of time, but he did far better than he ever expected him to.   
  
Kyousuke stood by his working table, watching the android examine the work he had done silently, not wanting to intrude on the other's personal space. He was aware that the blonde still didn't trust him, and he didn't want to do anything that would make the situation between them worse. Then, he allowed his eyes to fall on a framed photograph at his end of the table, that of him and his friends more or less a year back. All of them were in their army uniform and were happily, in fact crazily, posing somewhere in their military camp. He was right in the middle of the picture, his two best friends --- one a carefree brunette and the other a snooty blonde --- ganging up on him from behind as he refused to join them earlier that time. He himself was grinning; fortunately the camera took the shot when he had regained his interest in the matter.   
  
He felt tears glisten within his eyes once more. They had all been happy that day, ecstatic even, having received the news that they were going to go to a real battle the next day, after their long wait. They didn't know that only very few of them would actually survive. He ran his fingers through the photograph gingerly, pointing out who else had managed to leave the battlefield alive. Hiroshi Washida, Satoru Todoroki, Taka Shibuya, Tarou Takoyama, Ebata Ryouichi… Heck, they weren't even fine soldiers. All the skilled ones, minus himself, had died.   
  
At that, he pushed the picture frame face down against the table, and looked back at the blonde-haired android who, by then, had also turned around to regard him. Determination surging through him after his short voyage down memory lane, he scooped up the equipment he would need and began to make his way towards his bed, motioning the android to do the same. He had a long night of repair work ahead of him.   
  
_Your deaths will not go unavenged… Mitsuke, Kuroudo. _   
  
  
  
  
_/To be continued…/_   
  
  
  
  
**Notes:** I apologize for the delay of this update, minna; my summer unfortunately became hectic all of a sudden. I'm doing my best to update as much as I can, though. *points to rough drafts on paper scattered everywhere* Anyway… you guys are confused, aren't you? Sad to say (for you), I'm not going to offer any explanations here; you'll have to wait for the next chapters, or ask me to spoil. Anything goes for me. I, however, would love to know what you think is really going on, so… review? Please? *puppy eyes* 


	9. Lan Fang

**International Human Confederation  
Tokyo, Japan Headquarters  
18 November 2066, 11:40**

"You're late, Captain Connellheim. I was expecting more from you. _Much_ more." She rose from her seat, narrowed dark blue eyes glaring at the blonde-haired army officer, who immediately broke eye contact. Before the other could have the chance to explain himself, she cut him off with a wave of her hand, indicating that he sit while she continue with the scolding. "If I had known that you would fail to secure the blueprint _and_ that you would lose an entire squadron on a simple night raid, I would've taken the matter into my own hands."

"Miss Lan Fang---"

"With all due respect, Mr. Tobita," she said, turning to address the president of the IHC, "I am well aware of Captain Connellheim's capabilities. But I'm certain those androids aren't more than we can handle."

Gallen Connellheim then interjected, "Your pride will be your downfall, Miss Lan Fang."

She let out a laugh. "Pride? Speak for yourself! Who refused to lead the night raid himself, saying that the androids weren't even worthy enough to kiss his feet? Your incompetence is embarrassing and intolerable, and your pride so much more!"

"That is enough." She shut her mouth before she could say anything more, and upon glancing at her superior, Takaya Tobita, she saw him take a deep breath to compose himself. It definitely wasn't the time to lose his temper, and that he was aware of. He then leaned forward and clasped his hands together, and at the gesture, Lan Fang remembered that she was still on her feet and then promptly sat down, muttering her apology as she did so.

He threw a side-glance at Yuhya Marino; the Australasian senator had been quiet the whole time. "The androids have officially declared war. That bombing in Washington is only the beginning of the terror that's yet to come. We need to act now. We can't afford to lose any more men --- or any more innocent lives." He felt his voice suddenly leave his throat. He had been fond of little Kouya.

"I say we go all-out."

The suggestion wasn't surprising at all, but the fact that it came from the android-sympathizing Senator Marino was. For the past months he had insisted on making sure their propagandas were within reasonable boundaries, but his little brother's death changed him drastically.

Lan Fang was glad he finally saw reason. Smiling inwardly at the thought that there was another android-hater in the IHC, reducing the number of sympathizers to a visible three, she cocked her head to the side slightly and locked gazes with her fellow Asian and nodded. "I second the motion." As she turned to address their president, her gaze hardened. "And as you know, my father would've, too. From the beginning he has fought for our lives in the battlefield, and having received a position here didn't change his way of thinking."

She allowed herself to scan the area, sweeping her gaze from one senator to the other and lingering a few seconds longer on the two pro-android officials, Harry Gamble of the European sector, and Gina Firestone of North America. _I'd willingly bet that you two are abominations yourselves,_ she thought fiercely, before letting a smirk appear on her lips. She had rarely seen the two up close, but having looked into their eyes once was enough for her to conclude such a thought. What was left for her to do was to rig up a scanner inside their next meeting area to prove their stature as spies, as android covert agents.

"I don't believe this," she heard the blonde female snap from her seat. Was it just coincidence that she sat beside Gamble, or something much more? She couldn't help but dwell on that little fact. "We've been careful in the past, careful not to cross the line _either way_, and now we're going to force ourselves across theirs? What, then, was the use of our propagandas?"

"For crying out loud, the androids are _killing machines_, Gina!" Marino snapped from across the blonde, his chestnut-colored eyes ablaze as he slammed his fists on the table. "They won't listen to reason, because all that's programmed in their circuit-loaded heads are the words kill, kill, and _kill!_ Why, did they think about the line they'd be crossing with us when they bombed that building in Washington?! I was there, Gina, I was _there!_ I heard all their cries of murder, and I know that the slaughter session they had won't be the last!"

The Chinese female, who attended the meeting in place of her father, Ming Wu, the IHC Vice President, was about to cut through the conversation, when she saw Gamble reach out to stop Firestone from getting up and doing whatever she had planned to do to Marino. _I know they're not a couple, _she thought, processing what she had just witnessed, _so they must be undercover agents. RS 'droids are said to work in pairs, and they specialize in covert operations…_

She placed her hand on Marino's shoulder to interrupt him, as he was seated beside her. She then averted her gaze to the blonde-haired pair of senators across them. "Senator Gamble? Please, if she has something to say, don't stop her. This is what this meeting is for." She had the satisfaction of seeing him flinch, and then she pressed on, "I really don't have the right to pry into your private affairs, but it seems to me that you two have a hidden agenda. If it's not a romantic issue, would you please share it with us?"

Gamble scowled. "You just said it yourself, Miss Lan Fang. You don't have the right to pry into our private affairs." Then, he turned to the other female and said in a soothing tone loud enough for everyone else in the room to hear, "Gina, it's okay. I'm sure they will hear you out, but please, you have to calm down."

"Yeah, I've had enough of flaring tempers for today," Mohamed Ramzy, the anti-android senator representing the continent of Africa, said as he leaned back against his seat in a lazy manner. Yet he continued to look at Firestone, who by then had grown less tense at how the conversation was turning out. He flashed a teasing smile. "Gina, are you sure you and Harry aren't anything more than friends?"

"This meeting wasn't called to discuss such rumors, Mohamed."

"Hey, I was just trying to liven up the atmosphere and help reduce the tension. Geez… you guys are taking this way _too_ seriously," he muttered, raising his arms up in surrender.

From where she sat, Lan Fang took note of everything that transpired in silence, down to the smallest details, just like how she was trained. She sure had a lot to report to her father, and while she was eager to do just that, she didn't want to leave without making sure that Marino's proposal to launch an all-out offensive against the mechanical pests would be approved and implemented. Once that project would be underway, all she would have to do would be to peel the disguises off Firestone and Gamble, and let them know that she was someone amateurs could not fool.

_/To be continued…/_

**Notes: **Kazie here. Phew, an update at long last. ::sighs in relief:: Anyway, I really don't have much to say about what's going on in the story and everything, as I'd want you to find out for yourselves... ::winks:: However, I would like to announce that since my co-author Mara has been too busy with offline matters to continue working with me on this project, I have a new partner-in-crime. Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to introduce her to you - the Angst Princess, Hareta! ::applauds:: Yay! This is going to be fun!


End file.
